''I would hope that the administration would explain to the father that if he so chooses he can raise his son in freedom, that the father can stay here in the United States of America,'' Bush said.

''It's important for our administration to remember that the mom was fleeing for freedom, to bring the son to freedom,'' he said.

Bush made his comments in answer to a reporter's questions Monday in Texas.

Asked about the operation in which Elian was taken by federal authorities, he said, ''Certainly the picture that most of America saw - that I saw - of the boy being seized by a marshal who had an automatic weapon is not what America is about. ... A lot of very goodhearted people were working on a solution through mediation, but nevertheless the administration made the decision it made, and now it's time to figure out what next.

''I would hope the administration would convince the dad to raise his boy in the United States of America.''

The Immigration and Naturalization Service has ruled that the 6-year-old boy belongs with his father, who wants to take him home to Cuba. Miami relatives with whom Elian had been staying are fighting that decision in federal court, and the court has ordered the father not to leave the country with the boy until the matter is decided.

The father is staying with the boy at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington and has agreed to abide by that order.

Meanwhile, several polls suggest voters are not pleased with Vice President Al Gore's stance on the boy's situation.

A CNN-Gallup poll taken Saturday showed a nearly 2-to-1 margin of disapproval of Gore's statements in the custody case. In an NBC News poll Sunday, almost one-fourth of those surveyed said his handling of the matter made them less likely to vote for him.

Gore, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, says the case should be settled in family court. He broke with the administration on that issue and also in his support of legislation to grant permanent resident status to Elian, his father and other relatives.